‘Born in Bombay, conceived in Tokyo’ - Obataimu is a fashionable boutique in South Mumbai based on two key concepts: Otaku and Takumi.

Obataimu, Mumbai

Otaku is a Japanese movement that represents resistance against conformity. This flair for the different is clear in the design of each individual garment but also in the fact that no piece of clothing in the store is actually for sale.

A sample of each design is available to try on but the item the customer eventually purchases is made specifically for them, in their chosen colour and tailored to fit their size. It offers an element of co-creation but also means that no two garments are exactly the same.

Takumi means ‘technique’ in Japanese and refers to a person who has perfected a certain skill. This concept is brought to life by the tailoring school that lives in the store itself and which celebrates the craftsmanship invested in each item. Behind a large glass door, shoppers can watch the tailors busily at work on other customers’ orders. It is a school, not a workshop, as each tailor is considered a student that might one day reach the revered status of a takumi.

Customer insight:

The idea of tailoring is not a new concept in India. Most people, even the more affluent, still go to their local tailor to get a customised, well-fitted product. Obataimu however has reinvented the way it is done by adding a stamp of fashionability and style authority to the concept, bringing together the benefits of traditional and modern trade.  

Brand takeaway:

The presence of an in-store workshop offers a high level of transparency, reassuring the customer of the quality of the clothes, but also building a human narrative into the production process.

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